Crystal Sea
The Crystal Sea is located in the Hakamagin Desert, approximately seven iyurks west of Ayaroka. It covers over 500 square iyurks, making it the largest body of fresh water in the Bfolyorn region. The area is difficult to reach, and not just because it is so remote. It is the main water source for the city of Ayaroka and is therefore heavily protected by the Brechan. It has several interesting and unique characteristics. Most notable to the uneducated viewer is the fact that it remains continually frozen. Even more important to the scientifically-minded is the fact that it is has no outlet, is fed by no rivers, creeks or streams, and exists in an area with little to no precipitation, yet has no recorded change in volume. Large amounts of the ice have been transported to Ayaroka and melted for Ayarokan use, and still the Sea remains as full of ice as it was before. There are several explanations for this phenomenon, both mythological and scientific. Unfortunately, the Brechan protection of the area has severely limited scientific investigations, so the existing scientific explanations are largely guesswork. Mythology The predominant myth about the Crystal Sea is the one held by the Brechan. They believe that their god, Dakrun, walks nightly around the Hakamagin Desert, leaving his giant footprints behind him. At the Crystal Sea, halfway through his trek, he rests and drinks from his water-skin. Every night he spills one enormous drop of water, which lands on the ice of the Sea and freezes there. This myth explains the Brechan custom of sacrificing one drop of their precious water at each place they rest when travelling in the desert. It is also the reason that the Brechan sometimes refer to the Crystal Sea as the Great Spill. Another explanation, classified as mythological by all reputable scientists, comes from the League of Extraordinary Windbags. One faction of the League believes that the Crystal Sea is actually the frozen saliva of the The Bfolyorn, which reaches the Hakamagin Desert through underground tunnels before rising to the surface. Another, less high-minded faction holds a similar theory, but thinks that rather than its saliva, it is The Bfolyorn’s urine that feeds the Sea. While these theories strike most people as ridiculous, certain members of the League feel quite strongly about them. Debates between the Bfolyorn-saliva and Bfolyorn-urine factions are rather heated, and have on several occasions come close to full-out brawls. Scientific Explanation The most widely recognized theory confidently states that the Crystal Sea is fed by numerous underground springs, but there the definite knowledge ends. At some point during its rise to the surface the water must freeze, but the depth at which this happens is unknown. The cause of the ice’s rise is also unclear. Some scientists believe that it is pushed up by new ice forming below, while others suggest that it is actually lifted to the surface by the gravitational pull of the Astroluces. A drilling and research project funded and overseen by the Brechan Engineers is currently in progress. The scientific community can only hope that the results will be published. Alternate Names While “Crystal Sea” is the officially recognized name, several alternate and slang names exist. As mentioned above, “the Great Spill” is common Brechan slang for the Sea. The alternate names are mostly outdated, but still appear in some poetry and are useful to know when reading older documents. They include “the Frozen Sea”, “the Dry Sea”, and “the Big Ice Cube.” 'Citations: 'Ayaroka, Iyurk, Hakamagin Desert Kostrzewa 01:16, September 23, 2010 (UTC)